What are my chances, or what do I do?

It’s not so much that we are supposed to play stuff that we like. It’s more like not playing stuff you REALLY don’t like.
If you do that you’ll be unhappy. So unless you have a broad taste in music and don’t mind mixing it up to fit the audience, you’ll be stuck creating your own following or scene if you like. Plenty of good advice here and on the blog (check the articles by D-Jam that have very valuable information on these subjects).

If you want more, then perhaps you need to consider travelling further to the nearest dwelling with a larger demand. There will invariably be more competition there too though!

I am a mobile DJ and I try to play music I like where I can (and I like loads of different things, so lucky in that respect) but even then I have to play stuff from time to time that I don’t really care for. But, walking away with 600-1000 bucks at the end of the night kinda makes up for the handful of tunes I didn’t like :D.

The more of a genre DJ you are, the more you need to either go where you can find fans of your genre or create your own scene.

It’s up to you. Do you want to play out regularly and makes some money, or can you be satisfied playing for your self most of the time and doing a few non-profit parties a year?

LOL, I hear that. Well, starting to get into nightclubs is a good place to start. And being shy isn’t a problem. Just start with going in, looking around, watching the crowd (an excellent training for DJs at any rate!), watching the DJ. Absorb what you see, it will give you more insight in what it is that’s expected and what people like.

Nobody says that you have to talk to anybody. It does pay to befriend the staff (doormen first, barstaff and of course the manager). They can give you valuable information and will usually answer your questions.

I fear that I won’t get very far with my Techno/Trance/Game remixes collection
I’d rather not head to the nearest big city, as that is Detroit, MI

Detroit techno ?
The thing is you need to go to the club, a LOT, your conclusion with, ” I wont get very far …”, its the lack of you going into the real club, to check out the scene, check out what the DJ’s playin, surely there is some clubs who would play close to that you are playing, but you dont know that if you never went to to one of those

Shy is not really a problem, i used to be shy,
Heck I would advised go with your gaming buddies one night to a club, just for fun and giggles,

Here is a story I always liked a lot. And it’s triggered by your “just sports bars and they don’t have DJs, just bands” remark.

The story goes something like this:

There is a father who has two sons. He owns a shoe factory. And he wants one of his sons to take over is his business in the near future as he is getting older. He decides to send them on a trip to some very poor countries in Africa to scout the possiblities for export of their shoes to those countries to expand their company.

Two days after the sons arrive in their respective countries, the first son writes a fax back to his dad (this is an older story obvisously, it might have even been a telex LOL) which said “I am booking a flight back for tomorrow, I have spent two days in this awkward place and there is noone wearing any shoes, we can’t do business here, there is no way we could sell even a single pair of shoes in this country”.
Almost at the same time the fax machine growls again, a message from the other son, saying “Dad, this amazing country is beautiful and the opportunities are endless. There is nobody here that wears shoes yet! Please send 1.000 pair of shoes ASAP.”

The point being that if you adapt your statement about sports bars by adding the word YET, suddenly it’s gone from a non-opportunity to a possible opportunity. Chances are were you see them, YOU decide if it can happen. I am not saying it will, but it’s a lot easier if you live life seeing chances instead of obstacles.

As far as staying a hobbyist, there is nothing wrong with that choice and it’s a good starting place. If you are a hobbyist, you CAN offer the sportsbar guy to come play on a quiet night and see if this might develop into a monthly thing. You have ABSOLUTELY nothing to lose. Your income doesn’t depend on it. If it fails (which in my opinion it never does, it’s just another learning moment), so what. You are not getting kicked out of your house, you don’t have to sell your car.

Succes after all is all about trying, trying and trying again. As long as you learn from your last try and apply those lessons to adapt your approach for the next try, you will get better and move closer to what works.

You have all of the Digital DJ Tips forum to help you if you have specific questions or if you need a bit of encouragement.

“Succes: getting up just one more time than you fall”